Chimpanzees are at ~98%, mice are at about 97% similarity [1]. Where do you draw the line? Genetic similarity is imho a poor measure. The capability of suffering is more difficult to assess, but more useful. I'm reasonably sure that the animals we eat can suffer sufficiently to make the way we raise and kill them problematic.
Do you have a source for that 98% number? I've been hearing it thrown around since before the human genome project was finished and long before anyone really started a chimp genome map, but I've never seen a source.
The figure I've seen cited for rhesus monkeys 93%, with cows around 80%. But why are you so concerned about genetic similarity? Isn't the more important question how sentient and capable of suffering they are? If we discovered alien beings with human-like intelligence and sentience that didn't share our DNA, would you prefer experimenting on those?
The problem then boils down to what's an acceptable percentage, no?
I mean, 99% is off limits, but what about 98%? 95%? where's the cut off?
I don't think gene commonality is a useful metric for this. Not really sure what would it be though, and I agree that it seems creepy to do experiments on an animal that looks a lot more like you than a worm or a rat.
But I also think it's appalling the way we treat our food sources and would love for this to improve, regardless of whether they look like me or not, and regardless of the amount of genes we have in common. Just out of basic respect for life (I also don't like cutting trees and plants just because).
Unfortunately I still like meat and bacon and other cow products, and while I try to eat less red meat, it's very hard to do.
As long as the people saying that, would voluntarily renounce to benefit of the results of this experiment, or any experiment involving other 100% genetically identic humans, all is ok.
Cars kill much more animals each day in any case, for no reason and including lots of humans. Maybe people fairly concerned about animal pain could use their skills and time to solve this much more serious problem. Wouldn't be a great goal? You'll save much more lives in an hour than in an entire life of lab rat rescue.
